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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Kaleidoscope in Books

May 11, 2024 (Updated May 11, 2024)

Kaleidoscope

Dorothy Gilman | 2002 | Mystery

5.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Once Again, a Kaleidoscope of Stories Lacking Focus

As with the first book featuring Madame Karitska, we get several stories that weave in and out of each other. Sometimes, they touch. Sometimes they only take up a chapter. Madame Karitska winds up in the possession of some diamonds when she runs into an old friend on a train. She helps a wife whose husband is interested in a nearby commune. A man who is deathly ill comes to her for help. She even helps a government official who is afraid some home grown terrorists might be at work.

Fans of the first book will be happy to hear that the format of the plot didn’t change much. Sadly, for me, that means it didn’t work as well as I would have liked. The way the stories wander around and in and out of each other without any clear beginning or climax frustrates me. One of them ends very anticlimactically. On the other hand, I do enjoy the charming characters and I liked spending time with them again. As with the author’s Mrs. Pollifax series, the characters haven’t really aged even thought it was roundly 25 years between books and both take place in their present. As a fan of the author, I’m not sorry I read this book, but I won’t be reading this series again any time soon.

Kudos

Booker's Bliss (Divergent Omegaverse #3)

JP Sayle

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

One decision was all it took to open a hideous can of worms—and give alpha bear Booker Starling a...

MM Omegaverse Romance Series

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Murder on Mistletoe Lane in Books

Dec 19, 2023 (Updated Dec 19, 2023)

Stella and Lyndy’s First Christmas Together Involves Murder

It’s late December 1905, and Stella and Lyndy are excited to spend their first Christmas together. Stella is a little confused by the house guests her in-laws have invited and the tension just below the surface their presence creates. But when a servant is killed, run down on the side of the road, she can’t help but investigate. Can she figure out what happened?

This is another strong entry in the series. I was glad that Stella and Lyndy were home since it meant that the supporting characters were back. I loved watching those relationships and characters grow more complex yet again here. There is a lot happening in this book, and the plots weave in and out of each other before reaching the logical climax. I did have a niggle with the climax, but it was a small one. The tone is a little somber, but it is in keeping with the rest of the series. On the other hand, all the scenes involving Christmas put me in the Christmas spirit, even if not everything was familiar. As always, the multiple view points of the narration were put to fantastic use. Those who enjoy historical mysteries will be glad they picked this one up.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Root of All Evil in Books

May 23, 2025

Root of All Evil

Liz Milliron | 2018 | Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Drugs and Scandal

State Trooper Jim Duncan is concerned when he hears a notorious drug dealer has been spotted in Fayette County again. He’s determined to catch the man this time. Meanwhile, his friend Sally Castle, an ADA, is shocked to find a coworker murdered in his office one Monday morning. Sally can’t stay on the sidelines with the case hitting so close to home. The pair quickly see a connection between events. But can they figure out what happened?

I’ve been meaning to pick up this series for a while since I’ve enjoyed other books from this author. While this is her debut novel, it’s not the first story with these characters. I do wish this book had more introduction to the characters, but we did get to know them pretty well over the course of the story. Jim and Sally share point of view duties, which helps. The pacing seemed a little uneven in the middle, but that’s a minor complaint. I did feel one of the characters could have been smarter as the climax neared, but the wrap up did answer all of my questions. Since this is a police procedural, it will have more content than the lighter books I often read. Now that I’ve started this series, I’m hoping to get to visit the characters again soon.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Presumed Puzzled (Puzzle Lady #17) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Roger Martindale is missing, and his wife, Pamela, has received a crossword puzzle. That evening, he returns home only to be hacked to death. Chief Harper thinks that Pamela did it since she was found with the bloody knife in her hand, but the twists for Puzzle Lady Cora Felton are just beginning.

And twists there are. Yes, Cora is right in the thick of things, and as the book progresses she gets even more involved. The characters are a little thin, but they usually are in this series. The real star here is the verbal battles the characters have, which are fun and funny as always. The quick wit and the banter made me laugh several times before we reached the logical conclusions.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-presumed-puzzled-by-parnell.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.